Bactine (32 page)

Aldrick was smiling like a dim-wit, but Daniel knew the man was a genius. They were at least thirty feet over the ground already, Tomlin and Gelrof small puppets in the green.

The airship was more stable than Daniel had expected. They had flown it for almost half an hour, and there was nothing he could point at to be wrong, or even slightly failing. Even the turning and sailing up against the wind had gone well, although it had cost a lot of time and effort.

Landing the ship had been simply a matter of releasing the air from the balloons, for which Aldrick had made a lever also. "If the lever fails, then people can pull the red line that holds the balloon, Mr. Zacharias. That will release the air from the balloon directly. Some synchronisation is important then, of course. It is not done to lose passengers."

One uncertainty was of course: how would the airship behave with twenty or more people on board? Would the balloons hold that?

Aldrick was convinced they would. "You just add some more of the special gas, Mr. Zacharias. It will lift. I am convinced of that."

Tomlin and Gelrof praised Daniel and Aldrick for their flight. "It looked amazing. Astounding." Coming from a man who had flown space craft, jet packs and star cruisers, that meant a lot to Daniel.

"We have to make a plan fast, Tomlin. The longer we wait, the less chance we have to find someone alive," Daniel said.

"Let's do that on the way back," Tomlin suggested.

Aldrick told them that the airship would be ready for them any day after this one. "You are most welcome to use it, Mr. Zacharias. You are a good pilot and sailor. I have confidence in you."

"You're not coming with us?"

"No, sir. I am an inventor, not a fighter..."

The three men took their leave, went back to the still waiting carriage and made plans on the way back to Tomlin's house.

The next day Daniel went over to Tomlin's house again, to meet the skipper Tomlin had found willing to help with the rescue mission. They bravely called it that. The skipper had brought two more people with him. Not the kind of folks Daniel normally would care to know, but they looked as if they were very able to do some serious damage to pirates, so he welcomed the two to the crew.

The skipper had a set of old maps with him, clearly very often used, and pointed out a number of possible places he thought they should visit first. "If y'ask me, son, it's one of them here spots the pirate's hiding."

Daniel had to take the word of the man for it, he had no clue where to start. The skipper advised him to get supplies for at least a week. "We don't know how long we're going to be gone."

That was true. And it was also something that worried Daniel. He decided that supplies for two weeks might be a better idea. Aldrick had been confident that the airship would be able to carry all that and more. The next worries appeared quickly after that. How was he going to get all the supplies to the backlands where Aldrick lived, and how was he going to pay for them? He still had no idea what he was worth, financially, and Tomlin was not able to give him an idea how to find out.

On the way home, Daniel tried to contact the number of the cloaked person. After a few attempts he gave up, and somehow he wasn't even very surprised that there was no reply. The surprise happened when he had gotten home and was ready to hit the shower: the hydger made its ghastly sound and the black triangle was there.

"Daniel here."

"Mr. Zacharias," the voice spoke, "I saw you have tried to reach me."

"Yes, several times. I already had the idea that the number was wrong," Daniel said.

"It is correct. I am not always... accessible. Tell me what you have to say."

Daniel told that they had a way to get around and look for the Pricosine crew, and his worries about the supplies. "The captain we have found is right, we don't know how long we will be gone, so we need quite some food and water."

"I understand. Valid problems to deal with, Mr. Zacharias." The voice was silent for a moment, only the brushing noise remained in the background. " We may have a solution though. Do you have a list of what you need?"

"Yes, I do, in fact." Daniel grabbed it from the table. He read it out, slowly, so the person on the receiving end could write things down. He could have sent it through the hydger as a message, he knew, but on the other side there was nothing like a printing device, so it had to be written down anyway.

At the end of the dictating session, the stranger said: "I will see what I can arrange, Mr. Zacharias. And when I have done so, I will contact you again." Immediately after that the connection went off.

"And a good day to you too," Daniel frowned as he closed the hydger. These communications never felt comfortable. "What the hell have I gotten myself into ..."

As Daniel did his best not to look out the window, there was a knock on the door. He frowned. Frowning was becoming a habit on this planet. He walked over to the door.

In the hall waited a very small woman, with white hair and pale eyes. It was the woman who had addressed him as he was having a beer at the Tub. "Do you remember me?" she asked, her voice gentle and careful.

"Yes. I do. We met in the pub called the Tub," Daniel said. It was impossible not to remember such an extraordinary looking person. "Very shortly too."

"Yes." She nodded, also carefully. "I really would like to talk to you. And apologise."

"Please, would you come in. Talking with you out there is so awkward." Daniel let her in and offered her a seat, which she hesitantly accepted.

"My name is Ombra Hozteng," she said, nervously looking around. "I don't think, Mr. Zacharias, that you have heard it before?"

It struck him that she knew his name. "Indeed, Mrs. Hozteng, I haven't."

Ombra Hozteng smiled. "Thank you."

"For what, please?" Daniel was not aware of doing something special.

"For calling me 'Mrs.'. Not many people do." The white-haired woman shifted on the chair a bit, and then started to explain. "I am the... uhm... partner of Draiky. Draiky Trelodah. The cook on the Pricosine."

Many pieces of the puzzle suddenly crawled together by their own strength. "Oh. Right. I understand a lot more now," Daniel nodded. He recalled how tenderly and lovingly Draiky had spoken about her love, and smiled. "Draiky did not mention your name, but she spoke of you a few times."

"I know," Ombra said, a slight smile showing. "She told me about you, and how you talked to her. She trusts you, Mr. Zacharias. And when she trusts you, I trust you too."

Then the hydger started its noise. Daniel looked at it and decided to ignore it. This talk was more important, he sensed.

"Needn't you answer that, sir?" Ombra asked, noticing his action.

"No. They will call back when it is important. You and I are talking now."

"Oh..." She coloured, her pale cheeks turning pink. Clearly she was not used to that. "Do you have any information, sir, anything, on where she might be?" In a sudden bold streak she blurted out her question.

Daniel held back the sigh that wanted to part with him. "Unfortunately, I don't, Mrs. Hozteng." He registered that the hydger shut up.

"Please, call me Ombra, sir."

"I will. Ombra. I am Daniel. And I really wish I could tell you something more positive, Ombra. The last time I saw Draiky she was still alive." He knew that this was not very comforting, but it was the only thing he could say.

Ombra stared at the floor. She almost jumped as the hydger rattled again. "You should answer that, sir... Please."

Her words made Daniel pick up the hydger. As he saw the incoming identification, his heart skipped a beat. It was Rhonda, calling from star base. "Rhonda! Daniel here," he said after accepting the incoming call. He was more than just pleasantly surprised. "I have a visitor here, can you-"

The click of the door made him look up. "Crap," he muttered.

"You have a visitor?" the image of Rhonda's face, distorted and jumpy because of the enormous distance and difference in technology, still showed her surprise.

"Looks like she just left," Daniel commented.

"She? Don't tell me you have a girlfriend over there, Daniel Zacharias!" Not even the tin-can speaker on the hydger covered her amusement.

"No, I don't. It was the girlfriend of the cook." Daniel closed his eyes. "Do you want me to explain?"

There was an unnerving crackling in the connection for a moment.

"Maybe that's not necessary. We heard of what happened, Daniel. How you survived the pirate attack. Are you okay?" The concern was real.

"I'm okay, Rhonda. Really. Just worried sick about the rest of the crew."

"Yeah. That's you. Listen, I have limited time on this thing. I just want to tell you to be careful, Daniel. I had a great time with you there, with all the dressing up. I never had a friend like you before and-"

The connection dropped away. Daniel slapped the hydger. "Rhonda? Rhonda, do you hear me?"

The connection was gone and staid away. Limited time, she had said. No joke there. Daniel put some effort into trying a connection from him to Rhonda, but that stranded quickly. Somehow he could only send out messages to the star base, not set up visual communication.

He let out the sigh that had been put on hold during Ombra's visit. He felt sad that the tiny woman had left so quickly, and wondered how she had gotten his address. He felt sad also that the talk with Rhonda had been cut so short. But on the upside, she had gone through the trouble of contacting him, and that made him feel good inside.

-=-=-

The next morning, as Daniel was paining his brain over all kinds of useless things, the hydger yanked him back to serious things.

"Mr. Zacharias, please listen," the voice behind the black triangle said, "your supplies will be waiting for you in a carriage this afternoon. You will find the carriage in... the backyard of a shop called Henlicks Cranulum. It is in Skarak, where you live."

Daniel frowned. Why did that need to get emphasised?

"Will you be able to find that shop?" the voice asked.

"I am sure. Do I need to know something special? I am curious how you arranged that, too," Daniel tried.

"Henlicks Cranulum, backyard, this afternoon. Good luck." And those were the last words before the connection went dead.

Daniel called Tomlin and told him about the mysterious call and the carriage that would be waiting for him later that day. Surprised that his friend was available so often lately, he asked Tomlin about that.

"I have my own company here, Daniel," Tomlin enlightened him. "I can work when I want. And this thing we are doing now is much more interesting and challenging than yet another steam cylinder."

"Right. I hope you don't get into trouble with all this, Tomlin. We will be gone for a while."

"Let that be my problem, Daniel, if at all there is a problem. Let me know when you go get the carriage and when you come here with it. I'll get the others in a carriage then, and then we can head over to Strange Aldrick's place."

"Okay, Tomlin. And let me say that I am really glad with your help."

"Don't mention it. You coming here was the best thing in a long time. Getting back into action. Like the old days."

"Like the old days, Tomlin," Daniel grinned, and ended the call.

He bided his time by locating the shop that was Henlicks Cranulum. It was nothing special, he discovered. It was a shop where one could buy food. The strange name would never have made him connect that to their wares, but there were more things he wondered about on this planet. As he went around the back, which was no problem at all, he came to a backyard that was open and deserted. He noticed plenty of tracks in the earth in the yard obviously more people came here with carriages to pick up goods.

"Hello, Seigner," a boy called out to him. Judging from his clothes he worked at Henlicks Cranulum, even if he was young. "Are you looking for something?"

"Not really," Daniel said. "Not yet, anyway. I am supposed to collect a carriage here later today."

The boy frowned, taking off his hat and scratching his head. "A carriage? We don't sell carriages, Seigner." He asked Daniel's name. "Let me go ask, Seigner."

Before Daniel could say a word, the boy darted off, through a door, into the dark secrets of Henlicks'. He appeared after a few minutes. "It's all arranged, Seigner! The carriage will be loaded and waiting for you here, indeed!" He smiled as if he had arranged it himself.

"That is magnificent, young man," Daniel grinned and waved at him. With that knowledge secured, Daniel went off for a late breakfast and then went home. He had a specific suitcase there that he would need at the moment they would engage the pirates.

As he had the suitcase on the table, ready for inspection, the hydger made its noise again.